Ponk Vada | Green Jowar Fritters

Blogging Marathon #72 Week 2 Day 2

Theme: Festival Special

Dish: Ponk Vada | Green Jowar Fritters

A plateful of vadas made from Ponk (Young Jowar Kernels) with Jowar flour and spices. This non-fried version is perfect for all kite flying parties!


Hurda or Ponk (Gujarati પૌંક) is found in Surat, India and surrounding areas. These green immature sorghum grains are available only in this part of the world. Ponk is usually available only during colder winter months, from November through February. Peak season in December and January. 

The ponk seeds are generally enjoyed with a side of pepper and lemon sev. The combination makes a flavorful and amazing bhel. However, converting these seeds into vadas is perfect for enjoying the kernels while flying kites. 

On Sankranti, we all used to get on the terrace and fly kites all day. Along with the kites, there used to be day long music and lots of food too. From sweet chikki made from sesame, peanuts, dry fruits and dalia to savory delights like Undhiyu, Ponk Bhel and these Ponk Vadas were most common. 


Keeping up with the tradition, we still enjoy these vadas when we can lay our hands on ponk here in the US. This time that the theme for the Blogging Marathon is Festive Special, I HAD to make these for it. 

The ponk vadas are generally deep fried, but I made them in a Paniyaram stand instead. That way we cut down on some calories and not compromise on the taste. Luckily I could find some green garlic in an Indian store, so I added that to the flour. However, if you cannot lay your hands on that, add regular garlic.


I used jowar flour for these vadas. However, a lot of people make it from Bajri flour or Besan too. But going by the logic that ponk is young jowar, we generally make the vadas from the jowar flour. Adding some rice flour to make them crunchy is common. I did not add that this time though. 

If you prefer a deep fried version, follow the same procedure and fry them till crisp and golden brown. To serve this, I made a green garlic and cilantro chutney. Again, regular garlic works as well, but green garlic gives a great flavor and taste to the chutney. Enjoy these and come back tomorrow for a wonderful Sankranti sweet!


Ingredients
Ponk 1 cup
Jowar Flour 1 cup
Ginger Chilli paste 1 tsp
Green garlic/Regular Garlic 1 tbsp, minced
Salt 1 tsp
Cilantro 1/4 cup, minced
Oil as required


Method

In a bowl mix all the ingredients except the oil. Add about 1/4-1/2 cup water to make a thick dough. 

Heat a paniyaram stand and drop some oil in all the cavities. Make even sized balls of the dough and drop them in each cavity. Cook for a couple of minutes and turn over. Cook for another 3-4 minutes and remove.

Alternatively, the vadas can be deep fried too. Serve warm with a side of Green Garlic and Cilantro Chutney.








Komentar

Posting Komentar

Postingan populer dari blog ini

Purple Sweet Potato Bread

Gambar
A super moist bread loaf that is full of Sweet Potato, this chic Purple loaf is not just delicious, it is made using 100% whole wheat flour!  Bread baking is my favorite blogging activity. And loaves made with different ingredients is something I enjoy a lot. From all the loaves I have made in the past, this one is my FAVORITE! What more does a girl want except a bread that is VIOLET?  A few days ago I saw some Purple Sweet Potatoes at the Farmer's Market. I bought myself a couple of pounds. While I used some to make Undhiyu, boiled and roasted a couple; I was left with two BIG ones. The color no longer looked enticing and I was short of ideas of what to do with these.  I made a couple of potato breads using regular potatoes some time back. I decided to replicate that using these sweet potatoes. And viola, the plan worked PERFECTLY! In a few hours I found myself standing with a knife at the kitchen counter staring at a pale violet colored bread.  'Would the bread be ...
Baca selengkapnya

Tuver na Thotha ane Dhokli

Gambar
Blogging Marathon #73 Week 3 Day 3 Theme: Flavors of India Dish: Tuver na Thotha ane Dhokli One pot dish from Gujarat, this  Tuver na Thotha ane Dhokli is perfect for roti and rice. A long lost recipe that is rustic and has a perfect blend of flavors! Tuver or fresh pigeon peas, those green pearls that are signature to the winters. I simply LOVE them in everything from kachoris to undhiya and from curry to stir-fry.   While these green beans were available in the local markets in India only during the winter months, they are available in frozen aisles of the Indian stores in US. That means they are available year round and I love to have them more often.  Back in India, I used to enjoy this simple yet flavorful dish, made from tuver and dhokli(wheat dumplings). The dish is full everything yummy and perfect for steamed rice and rotis.  I have had it several times but never made it the way I did it for the blog. From measuring each ingredient to noting the perfect time...
Baca selengkapnya

Parsi Mawa Cake

Gambar
Bake-a-thon 2016: Day 2 Theme: Naked Cakes Recipe:  Parsi Mawa Cake A perfect balance of mawa, flour and cardamom is used to make a yummy Mawa Cake. Pistachios and almonds add to the beauty and flavor of this cake! Today is a new week in the month lng Bake-a-thon and this week I am making Naked cakes. As the name suggests, these cakes have minimal or no cream and the cake can be seen without having to remove any cream from it.  For the longest time I have been baking Naked Cakes and Tea time breads. This is primarily because I was not confident of working with buttercream and fondant. Plus, Naked Cakes come together in no time and are generally as easy as mix, stir and bake!  From all the cakes I have made in the years, this Mawa Cake makes it to my favorite five! For all those from Mumbai, you can surely relate to my love for the soft and spongy Mawa Cake we get from all the Irani Cafes. Trying to replicate that cake, I came across this recipe from Madhuri's blog. It ha...
Baca selengkapnya